Lighter tamper combination



mg. E@ E966 M, c. MMM gggg@ LIGHTER TAMPER COMBINATION Filed July 30, 1964 INVENTOR. HEBER C. LAMAR United States Patent O 3,269,396 LIGHTER TAMPER COMBINATION Heber C. Lamar, P.O. Box 26011, Indianapolis, Ind. Filed .iuly 30, 1964, Ser. No. 386,333 4 Claims. (Cl. 131-247) The present invention relates to a combination lighter tamper arrangement and to a tamper attachment for use with a lighter, said arrangement and attachment being particularly adapted for pipe smokers.

In order to light a piper or to keep the pipe burning, it is necessary to repeatedly tamp the tobacco down into the bowl of the pipe. Pipe smokers use various devices for such tamping many of which are diicult to open or manipulate. It is usually easy to identify a habitual pipe smoker by the fact that his thumb and/ or linger is burned black because he is always placing his nger in the bowl to tamp the hot tobacco. Many times a pipe smoker will attempt to use a fountain pen or pencil for this purpose only to nd that plastic is adversely affected, burned and deformed by heat.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved tamper arrangement.

Another object of the present invention is to provide tamper arrangement which is combined with or adapted for use with a lighter and is easily manipulated for selective use of the lighter or tamper.

Still another object or advantage of the invention is to provi/le a tamper lighter combination wherein the tamper is coi'ered and does not project or catch on objects when the tamper is not in use or not needed.

Related objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

One specic example of the present invention might include a conventional lighter of the type having a striker wheel and a wick and a hinged top spring pressed into a completely closed or a completely open position. Slidably mounted within the top is a tamper normally maintained retracted within the top by means of a spring but projectable for use in ramping a pipe bowl or the like by means of a tab positioned adjacent the thumb normally used for spinning the striker wheel to strike the flint.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a lighter constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. l in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. l in the direction of the arrows.

FG. 4 is a View similar to FIG. 3 of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing and specic .language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modications in the illustrated device, and lsuch further applications of the principles of the invention `as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally -occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated a lighter including an upright rectangular base 11 which is elongated in horizontal cross section. A cap 12 is hinged to the top of the base 11 at the one end 15 of the top.

The cap 12 also has an elongated horizontal cross section as shown in FIG. 2. The `cap when closed as ill-us- Mice trated in FIG. l conforms in shape to the base and has its sidewalls coextensive with the sidewalls of the base. The cap 12 is hinged at the end 16 of the cap to the end 15 of the base by hinge means 17. In conventional fashion, there is also provided a wick support. 18 at the top of the base 11, said wick support being `surrounded by the wind protector 20. Rotatably mounted upon the base and upon `the wind protector 20 is a striker wheel 21 which cooperates with ilint 23 supported within means 24 at the top of the base to strike a spark for lighting the fuel conveyed by the wick. It will be noted. that the striker wheel 21 is rotatably mounted on top of the base toward the end 22 of the top of the base which is away from the end 15 of the top.

Slidably mounted within the cap 12 is a tamper 30 which includes a circular or disc shaped head 31 fixed to an elongated shank 32. The shank 32 extends longitudinally of the cap 12 through a hole 3S in the end 36 of the cap away from the end 16 of the cap.. Joined to the shank 32 and partially positioned within the cap 12 is a cross member 37. The cross member 37 has a flattened tab portion 40 outside of the cap 12 yand positioned adjacent the thumb normally used to hold the lighter, to iip the cap 12 open and to -rotate the striker wheel 21. Thus, this thumb can be used for not only the opening of the cap and the striking of the flint but also for actuating the flattened portion 40 of the cross member 3. The cross member 37 projects through a slot 41 extending longittudinally of the cap 12. On each side of the slot 41, that is one inside and one outside, are positioned a pair of washers 145 and 146 which are fixed to the cross member 37 and which guide the shank 32 and tamper 30 in movement longitudinal of the cap.

The tamper 30 is normally maintained retracted by means of a coiled compression spring 45 received around the shank 32 and bearing against the inside surface 46 of the cap 12 and also bearing against the cross member 37 of the tamper.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4 and includes a tamper 100 identical to the tamper 30. The tamper is yieldably maintained retracted by the spring 101 identically to the action of the spring 45. The tamper 100, illustrated in FIG. 4, operates identically to the above described tamper and the structure of FIG. 4 is different from the above described lighter tamper combination only in that the conventional lighter 105 without a tamper has mounted on its cap 106 the cap cover member 107 which ha-s the tamper 100 mounted thereon. This cap cover member 107 may be plastic of a nature which adheres to the cap 106 after the -cover 107 has been slipped over the cap.

From the above description, it will be evident that the present invention provides an improved tamper arrangement which does not easily lbecome lost 'because the tamper is incorporated in and a part of the lighter itself. It will also be evident that the lighter tamper arrangement described above is very easy to manipulate because the thumb used to open the cap and to strike the int is also adjacent the tab used to project the tamper. lt will be further evident that the tamper of the present invention is maintained covered and withdrawn in a position where it will not catch `on objects when the tamper is not in use or is not needed.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modiiications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

1. In combination with a lighter including an upright rectangular base which is elongated in horizontal cross section, a cap 'hinged to the top of said base at one end of said top and A,one end of said cap, said cap being elongated so as to conform in shape to said base .and coextensive with said base when said cap is closed, a wick support at the top of said base, a .striker wheel rotatably mounted on the top of said base toward the other end of said top, means at the top of said base for supporting a llint for striking by said striker wheel, the improvement which comprises a tamper having an enlarged head -mounted on one end of an elongated shank with a cross memfber on the opposite end thereof, said tamper being slidably mounted upon said lighter cap with the shank of said tamper extending through said cap and with said enlarged head on the outside of said cap, said tamper being slidable longitudinally of said cap and projecting through the wall thereof yaway from said hinge, said cap having a longitudinally extending slot lin the sidewall thereof, said slot -being on the right hand side of the cap when said cap is viewed with the hinge means away from the viewer, the junction of said cross member and shank being on the inside -of said cap with said cross member extending through said slot and having an enlarged llattened handle portion on the outside of said cap, a coiled compression spring surrounding said shank and acting between said cap and said cross member to maintain said tamper yieldably retracted within said cap, and a pair of washers fixed to Isaid cross member with one of said washers inside of said cap and the other outside of said cap to guide said cross member and tamper and to maintain said shank longitudinal of said cap.

2. In combination with a lighter including an upright rectangular base which is elongated in horizontal cross section, a cap hinged to the top of said base at one end of said top and one end of said cap, said cap being elongated so as to `conform in shape to said base and coextensive with said base when said cap is closed, a wick support `at the top of said base, a striker wheel rotatably mounted on the top of said base toward the other end of said top, means at the top of said lbase for supporting a llint for striking by said striker wheel, the improvement which comprises a tamper having an enlarged head mounted on one end of :an elongated shank and projectable out of the portion of said cap away from the hinged portion thereof, spring means acting against said cap and tamper and normally maintaining said tamper retracted, and a handle portion projecting from said cap on the right hand side of the cap when said cap is viewed with the hinge means away from the viewer, said handle portion being secured to said tamper for the projection thereof.

3. A lighter attachment comprising an elongated cap cover adapted to slip over and adhere to a hingedly mounted lighter cap, a tamper having an enlarged head mounted on one end of an elongated shank with a cross -member on the opposite end thereof, said tamper being slidably mounted upon said cap cover with the shank of said tamper extending through said cap cover and with said enlarged head on the outside of said cap cover, said tamper being slidable longitudinally of said cap cover and projecting through the wall thereof away from the cap hinge, said cap `cover having a longitudinally extending slot in the sidewall thereof, the junction of said cross member and shank being on the inside of said cap cover with said cross member extending through said slot and having an enlarged ilattened handle portion on the outside of said cap cover, a coiled compression spring surrounding said shank and acting between said cap cover and said cross member to maintain said tamper yieldably retracted within said cap cover, and a pair of washers xed to said `cross member with one of said washers inside of said cap cover and the other outside of said cap cover to guide said `cross member and tamper and to maintain said shank longitudinal of said cap cover.

4. A lighter attachment compri-sing an elongated cap cover adapted to slip over and adhere to a hingedly mounted lighter cap, a tamper having an enlarged 4head mounted on one end of an elongated shank and projecta'ble out of the portion of said cap cover away vfrom the hinged portion of said cap, spring means acting against said cap cover and tamper and normally maintaining said tamper retracted, and a handle portion projecting from said cap cover on the right hand side of the cap when said cap is viewed with the hinge means away from the viewer,

said handle portion being secured to said tamper for the projection thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,063,066 5/1913 Robinson 131-247 X 2,633,137 3/1953 Narragon 131-243 3,200,822 8/1965 Meyer 131-243 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,266 10/1873 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner. I. S. REICH, Assistant Examiner'. 

4. A LIGHTER ATTACHMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CAP COVER ADAPTED TO SLIP OVER AND ADHERE TO A HINGEDLY MOUNTED LIGHTER CAP, A TAMPER HAVING AN ELONGATED HEAD MOUNTED ON ONE END OF AN ELONGATED SHANK AND PROJECTABLE OUT OF THE PORTION OF SAID CAP COVER AWAY FROM THE HINGED PORTION OF SAID CAP, SPRING MEANS ACTING AGAINST SAID CAP COVER AND TAMPER AND NORMALLY MAINTAINING SAID TAMPER RETRACTED, AND A HANDLE PORTION PROJECTING FROM SAID CAP COVER ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE CAP WHEN SAID CAP IS VIEWED WITH THE HINGED MEANS AWAY FROM THE VIEWER, SAID HANDLE PORTION BEING SECURED TO SAID TAMPER FOR THE PROJECTION THEREOF. 